CAMOUFLAGE: An adaptation that enables species to blend with their surroundings; allows a species to avoid detection by predators.
CANCER: Uncontrolled cell division that results in the formation of a tumor.
CAPILLARY ACTION: A property of water that refers to water's ability to move up a thin tube (like a plant stem) because of cohesion and adhesion
CARBOHYDRATE: A sugar or starch. Carbohydrates are large molecules or polymers. Carbohydrates are made of monomers called monosaccharides. Carbohydrates are used as an energy source. Examples of carbohydrates include glucose and glycogen.
CARRIER: An individual heterozygous for a specific trait.
CARRYING CAPACITY: The maximum number of organisms an environment can support.
CATALYST: Something that speeds up a chemical reaction. For example, enzymes are a type of catalyst.
CELL: The basic unit of life. All living things are made of cells; All cells come from other cells. This is one of the five characteristics of life.
CELL CYCLE: The period of growth, DNA Synthesis, and mitosis. The "life cycle" of the cell.
CELL MEMBRANE: A membrane that surrounds all cells, and it controls what can enter or leave (maintains homeostasis). Cell membranes are also known as a plasma membrane, fluid mosaic model and phospholipid bilayer.
CELL THEORY: 1) All living things are composed of cells
2) Cells are the basic unit of life (structure & function)
3) Cells come from preexisting cells
2) Cells are the basic unit of life (structure & function)
3) Cells come from preexisting cells
CELLULAR RESPIRATION: The process organisms use to breakdown food into energy (ATP).
The chemical formula is: C6H12O6 + 6O2 --> 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP
(glucose) (oxygen) (carbon dioxide) (water) (energy)
The chemical formula is: C6H12O6 + 6O2 --> 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP
(glucose) (oxygen) (carbon dioxide) (water) (energy)
CENTROMERE: The center of a chromosome that holds two sister chromatids together.
CHANNEL PROTEIN: A protein in the cell membrane that helps transport molecules across the cell membrane.
CHEMICAL CHANGE: When the identify of a substance is changed. Examples include burning, rusting, reacting.
CHEMICAL PROPERTY: A property that can only be observed by changing the chemical composition (make-up) of a substance. Examples include flammability, reactivity, reaction with water, reaction with acids / bases, etc.
CHITIN: A complex carbohydrate that makes up the cell walls of fungi.
CHLOROPHYLL: The light-absorbing pigment found in chloroplasts used to convert light energy to chemical energy during the process of photosynthesis.
CHLOROPLAST: The site of photosynthesis in plants.
CHROMOSOME: An X-shaped structure composed (made of) DNA. Chromosomes are found in the nucleus during mitosis.
CILIA: Short hair-like structures used for cellular movement or to move substances past cells.
CLADOGRAM: A branching diagram that models the phylogeny of a species based on the derived traits of a group of organisms.
CLASS: A taxonomic grouping of similar orders.
CLASSIFICATION: A grouping of objects or information based on similarities.
CLONES: Genetically identical copies of an organism.
COAGULATION: The process by which small particles are clumped together. Coagulation is used in water treatment in order to help with the removal of pollutants from the water. One example of a coagulant (a substance that causes things to clump together) is alum.
CODON: A set of three nitrogen bases that represents an amino acid; order of nitrogen bases in mRNA determines the type and order of amino acids in a protein.
COHESION: A property of water that refers to water's ability to stick to itself.
COLLABORATION: Working together. Many scientists collaborate when trying to find the answer to a scientific question.
COMMENSALISM: A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected.
COMMUNITY: A collection of several interacting populations that inhabit a common environment.
COMPARATIVE EMBRYOLOGY: Scientists compare the embryos of different species for clues about how organisms may be related in terms of their evolution. All animals look very similar during the earliest stages of development, suggesting they share a common origin/ancestor.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY: Scientists compare the genes (DNA) or proteins of different organisms in order to determine how closely related they are to one another. For example, 98% of human and chimpanzee DNA is identical, which suggests we share a very recent common ancestor.
COMPOSED: Made of
COMPOUND: A substance made up of two or more different types of atoms bonded together.
CONCENTRATION GRADIENT: There is more a substance of one side of a membrane than on the other side. Substances moving with the concentration gradient are said to be passive (passive transport). Substances that move against the concentration gradient are said to be active (active transport).
CONCLUSION: A statement summarizing the findings of the experiment ; a good conclusion is supported by the data from the experiment
CONSTANT: The parts of an experiment that stay the same in all the groups.
CONSUME: To eat
CONSUMER: See heterotroph
CONTROL GROUP: The group where you (the scientist) don't change anything so you have something to compare to. This group also represents the "normal." It's the group that does not receive the independent variable.
CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT: An experiment that has both a control group and an experimental group and where only one variable is changed at a time.
CONVERGENT EVOLUTION: Evolution in which distantly related organisms evolve similar traits; occurs when unrelated species occupy similar environments.
COVALENT BOND: a bond between two atoms in which electrons are shared. A covalent bond can either be polar or nonpolar.
CROSSING OVER: Exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during prophase I of meiosis; results in new allele combinations.
CYSTIC FIBROSIS (CF): A recessive genetic disorder that causes thick mucus to build in the lungs and upper digestive system.
CYTOKINESIS: Cell process following meiosis or mitosis in which the cell's cytoplasm divides and separates into new cells.
CYTOPLASM: The fluid filling of a cell. Mostly water.